Ship to pier gangway



March 27, 1945. c. A. HAYNES SHIP TO PIER GANGWAY- Filed Sept. 15, 1944 E 5 l N t Y,

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C. A. HAYNES SHIP TO PIER GANGWAY Filed Sept. 13, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. filial/es fl ffaqn/J Patented Mar. 27, 1945 SHIP TO PIER GANGWAY Charles A. Haynes, Harrison, N. Y., asslgnor to Todd Shipyards Corporation, New York, N. Y.

Application September 13, 1944, Serial No. 553,824

7 Claims.

This invention relates to ship bridges or gangways and my improvements are directed to means whereby such gangways, when connected from ship to pier, may be rendered stable and safe in service.

Particularly my improvements provide compensating means to allow relative movements between the gangway and the approach platform for the ship to which it is connected, as occasioned by the rise and fall of the tide, and the consequent vertical movement of the ship. Also my improvements include means that allow the traction wheels, by which the gangway is supported on the pier, to move in parallelism with the pier edge as the ships lateral movement, relative the pier, is communicated to the gangway.

Other features and advantages of my inven- Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a top plan, partial view, showing the lower or traction end of the gangway.

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99 of Fig. 8, and

Fig. 10 is a section on the line Ill-l of Fig. 8.

In said views let I indicate a bridge or gangway, which may be ofusual or of suitable construction and is provided, at its lower end, with wheels 2 for traction along a pier. The particular characteristics of these wheels, whereby they are adapted to roll along the pier, in parallelism with the pier edge, whether the gangway be parallel with or angled from the pier edge, will be described hereinafter.

The gangway at its upper end connects with a, platform 3 that forms the approach to a. ships deck. Said platform extends at right angles to the gangway and is supported on the ship by means of standards 4 that rigidly connect it with the deck, and by angled braces 5 that bear against the ships side. A plate or flap 8 is pivotally connected to the upper end of the gangway, as by a. piano hinge I, said plate adapted to overlie the adjacent portion of platform 3, to thus provide a shiftable unbroken pathway between the gangway and platform.

The gangway, at its upper end, is provided with a shaft 8 that at one end is mounted in bearing 8 which is rotatably secured'by stud 9a in beam 3a of platform 3, thus permitting vertical movement of the gangway, and at its other end is provided with a pivot-wheel ID that is adapted to roll on a beam H which forms part of the fixed structure of the platform framework, said beam being curved inwardly toward its end and furnished with a stop l2 at its end, to thus prevent the wheel from leaving the=beam.

Gangway I carries on the under side of its upper end two open bearings la which straddle shaft 8 and are prevented from coming loose by locking pin lb. Therefore by withdrawing pin lb the gangway can be easily removed.

Thus, with the vertical movement of the ship, as the tide rises and falls, the approach platform partaking of that movement, the gangway, by reason of its pivotal engagement with said platform at 9, will follow such vertical movement, the lower end of said gangway, having the supporting wheels 2, moving along the pier in consonance with such vertical movement.

It will be appreciated that a ship, lying alongside a pier, may be spaced variable distances apart from the pier edge, and that consequently the gangway, as connected by pivotal means 9a to the approach landing, is thereby rendered capable of lateral movement relatively .to the pieredge, so that its supporting wheels 2 may track along the pier, whatever the distance may be that separates the gangway from the ships and extend over the deck of the ship from the approach platform, are supported, as previously stated, by the deck standards 4. It is desirable that reinforce means be provided to prevent too great a strain or bending moment from being applied to standards 4 and therefore I provide a box-like structure I6, composed of angle irons which embrace the lower flange of the I-beam, a bar I! lying on a plate l8 within the box, said bar serving as a seat for the I-beam. A series of holes pierced through the elements of the box and through the flange of the I-beam, enable adjustments oi said box-or loclr as it may be called-along the I-beam, for pins 09 entered through said holes will secure the'lock in ad-= Justed position. An extension 29 of the lock. is caused to butt against the inner surface of the ship's bulwark A, to thereby relieve the strain which otherwise might be imposed solely on standards t. i

Traction wheels 2 (see Figs. 9 and 10) are journalled in brackets 26 that have an upper plate 22 from which extends a vertical shaft 23 that is journalled in bearings on the gangway. The plate 22 has rotatable bearing against a plate 25 that is secured to the underside oi the gangway.

The plate 22 for the traction means at the opposite sides of the gangway each have an extension 25, and. a transverse bar that extends across the gangway has pivotal engagement, at 271, with the plate extensions at both sides of the gangway. Bar 25, or tie rod as it may be called, may thus be shifted to turn the wheels 2 in synchronism. llfnis operation becomes necessary as the distance separating the ships side from the pier either increases or decreases, for it is important that the wheels 2 always track in parallelism with the pier edge as the tide rises and falls. According to the space existing between the ship and pier, so will the angle of the .wheels be adjusted for parallel trackage, and

when so adjusted they are to be secured in the set position as by the following means. Thus, a plate 28 is welded to the main frame of he gangway, and a slot 29 is formed in said plate. The bar 2%? has an extension 3% which is provided with a slot 3i that coincide with slot 25, and a bolt 32 that penetrates both slots can be tightened to secure the bar 2% in an adjusted angular attitude of the wheels 2.

Obviously the gangway, at its pivotal connection with the approach platform, is there releasable, so as to be removable when the ship leaves the pier. Then the gangway may be laid prone on the pier and it is equipped with wheels 33 for' trundling purposes.

While in the drawings the gangway is shown as removably connected at oneside of the approach platform, it may equally well be connected to the other side thereof.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equally comprehended by the foregoing disclosure.

I claim:

1. Ship to pier access means comprising an apmeeting said I-beams to said deck, and 3 did , lying against the ships side, together with boaproach platform attached to a ship, and a goneway having at one side thereof, near it upper end, removable pivotal connection with said approach platform, a curved rail projectin from said platform, and a pivot-wheel carried by said gangway, at its opposite side, to roll on said rail.

2.. The subject matter of claim 1, characterized by the provision of a shaft engaging the gangway at the upper end thereof, a bearing connecmd to the approach platform in which said shaft may rotate, and vertical pivotal means for said bearing whereby said gangway may have lateral movement.

3. The subject matter of claim 1 wherein beams, forming part of the approach platform, are extended over a ships deck, standards connecting said I-beams to said deck, and brace beams extending angularly from said platform lying against the ship s side.

The subject matter of claim 1 wherein beams, forming part of the approach platform. are extended over a ships deck, standards co beam extending angularly from said platfc like structures embracing the lower flanges of said I-beams and being slidable therealong, J's. flanges and box-iile structures provided 1 series of holes, and pins to penetrate said 1 for adjustment, and extensions of said box structures that butt against the inner surface the shi 's bulwark in the adjusted position of said box-like structures.

5. Traction means for a ship to pier gangway comprising a pair of wheels, brackets in which said wheels are respectively journalled, said brackets having pivotal connection with said gangway whereby said wheels may be angled to track in parallelism with a pier edge, and means connecting said wheels for changing their angular attitude in synchronism.

6. The subject matter of 'claim 5 wherein the connecting means between the wheel brackets comprises a transverse bar and respective extensions of said wheel brackets, said bar being in pivotal engagement with said bracket extensions. 

